Novartis Raises Peak Sales Targets for Key Cancer Drugs

(Bloomberg) — Novartis AG boosted its sales targets for two key cancer drugs, underscoring confidence in its oncology pipeline.

The Swiss drugmaker raised its peak sales guidance for breast cancer drug Kisqali to at least $10 billion from $8 billion, it said Thursday. It lifted its forecast for leukemia therapy Scemblix to at least $4 billion from $3 billion.

Novartis is relying on cancer therapies to drive growth as older blockbuster medications face increasing generic competition. The new targets come just weeks after the drugmaker reported a 6% rise in core operating profit — its weakest quarterly gain in nearly two years — as sales of heart medication Entresto and psoriasis treatment Cosentyx slumped.

The company also extended its mid-term guidance for sales growth at constant currencies on Thursday to an annual increase of 5% to 6% for 2025 to 2030. It previously forecast growth of 6% annually from 2024 to 2029.

Vontobel analyst Stefan Schneider said Novartis’s raised targets for Kisqali and Scemblix and its growth goal through 2030 are “above our current forecasts,” and offer potential for higher estimates.

Novartis shares rose 0.8% in early Swiss trading. The stock is up about 16% so far this year.

The first half of 2026 will be packed with late-stage trial results for Novartis across heart disease, MS, kidney, and blood disorders. The company said more than 30 potential high-value medicines are in its pipeline, with over a dozen major trial readouts expected in the next two years to help sustain growth beyond 2030.

Novartis is in regular talks with the White House over US drug-pricing reforms, underscoring rising tension over medicine costs and trade. Chief Executive Officer Vas Narasimhan said on a conference call that Novartis expects to reach a deal with the White House, but declined to discuss the timeline.

(Updates with analyst comment in fifth paragraph, shares in sixth)

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